Mary Henry (Independent)

I welcome the Minister and the Bill. However, it is very unfortunate that we have to bring forward a Bill amending, to a great extent, one we passed so recently. This is not the fault of the Minister but we must try to make sure the Bills we pass do not require amendment within a few years, which is what has happened in respect of the 1996 Bill. I was present when it passed through the House. From the point of view of the public it is unfortunate that we have to change legislation so rapidly. All the changes do not have to be made because of an EU directive because the EU directive was issued in 1992. It took us a long time to do anything about that directive and, in the meantime, it was very hard for the public to know where it stood. It left the private sector wondering what kinds of pollution controls applied to it.

As many Senators have said, the Bill takes away substantial power from locally represented politicians in terms of having control over waste management. While I have never been a member of a county council, I have been a member of a health board. What the Minister has done is understandable because unfortunately it is frequently very difficult to make elected representatives bring forward any form of control, local legislation or policy which does not bring good news. If there is any bad news, they are most reluctant to deal with it. While the Bill may involve a diminution of local democracy, I see the reason the Minister believed he had to give the power to local managers. Where local democracy is concerned, this move is objectionable, in principle, but there have been so many problems in this area.